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A DESIGN BLOG….

Erik Magnussen…

Erik Magnussen was born in 1940 in Copenhagen. Educated as a ceramist at the School of Applied Arts and Design – graduated with a silver medal in 1960.

For a number of years he worked for Bing & Grøndahl and among the latest works are furniture for Fritz Hansen a/s , door handles for Franz Schneider Brakel gmbh, tabletop in pewter for Royal Selangor, tabletop in stainless steel and plastic for A/S Stelton, porcelain lamps for Licht & Form and furniture for Paustian a/s.

Erik Magnussen’s designs are exhibited in museums throughout the world and he has received the Lunning Prize in 1967 and the Furniture Prize in 1977. In 1983 he was chosen “designer of the year” by the Danish Design Council and his products have several times received the ID-prize by the Danish Society of Industrial Design. Erik Magnussen received the Bindesbøll Medal in 1996 and he has received grants from the Ole Haslund Fund, the Royal Jueweller A. Michelsen’s Anniversary Fund and Knud V. Engelhardt’s Memorial Fund.

Plateau Chair

The chair was named Plateau because its right armrest has a wide flat surface on which you can place your dry martini, remote control or laptop.

The chair is set on a highly polished aluminum base which is available with or without automatic return swivel. Plateau is manufactured in cold foam on top of hard foam, which creates a very comfortable seat. Plateau is available with leather or textile covers. Its challenging organic shape has led to new production processes that minimise sewing. As a result, the chair only has two pieces of textile or leather: one for the seat and one for the backrest.

The designer Erik Magnussen found inspiration for Plateau by contemplating the shape of his own left hand. Erik’s thumb inspired the chair’s plateau and his other fingers the backrest.

In 1997 Erik Magnussen was awarded “The Red Dot” in the “Design Innovations 1997” competition held by Design Zentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen and he won the “Good Design Gold Prize” awarded by Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization.

The classic Stelton vacuum jug with the unique rocker stop was introduced in 1977 and the same year awarded the ID Prize by the Danish Society of Industrial Design. Since then it has attracted considerable attention for its functionalistic design.
Designed by Erik Magnussen in 1976, the unique sealing system has made this Danish classic with its tall, slender form world famous. Due to the special tipping mechanism, the Stelton vacuum jug opens automatically. The lid closes again, aroma-tight, when put down again.